Gadkari calls for use of biofuel in Public Transport

• Nagpur has started to convert 450 buses on to biofuels.
• As many as 90 buses have already been converted so far.
• Efforts are being made to produce CNG from sewage water.

New Delhi, Aug 25: Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari has stressed on modernization of public transport  using biofuels, CNG and electricity.

Addressing a Webinar – 4th UITP India Bus Seminar on Monday Gadkari said most of the State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs) are incurring huge expenditure on conventional fuels which are expensive.

He called for moving on to biofuels, CNG and Electricity as transportation fuel. This, he said, will not only save on fuel bill but also contribute to economy and pollution reduction. At present country is spending huge amounts on import of crude oil/hydrocarbons, which he said, need to be reduced.

Referring to workability of the use of biofuels/CNG etc, he informed that Nagpur has started to convert 450 buses on to biofuels. As many as 90 buses have already been converted so far.

He added that loss in bus service is about ₹ 60 crore per year, which can be saved by converting  buses into CNG.

Gadkari also informed that efforts are being made to produce CNG from sewage water. He called upon SRTUs to adopt this model for reducing losses which will help in providing better public transport.  He further indicated at adopting other sources of CNG like paddy straw/parali, which have multiple benefits to farmers, transport, environment and economy.

The Minister called for adopting London Bus model harnessing utilisation of private capital for better public transport. He felt encouraging Public Private Partnership (PPP) may also be pursued. Shri Gadkari said, Bus Ports are being planned with all modern amenities. He suggested that adopting double-decker buses by the operators will also improve the efficiency of public transport. Shri Gadkari said, Bus operators may consider providing better services like good attendants, provision for entertainment tools like audio music, video films, etc which can fetch better returns.